Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar Helps Disabled Woman in Kerala To Get Enrolled for Aadhaar
Chandrasekhar said that the standard advisory has been sent to all Aadhaar Service Kendras giving instructions that Aadhaar should be issued to people like Josymol P Jose or to others having blurred finger prints or similar disability, by taking alternate biometrics.
New Delhi, December 9: Union Minister of State Electronics and IT Rajeev Chandrasekhar helped a disabled Kerala woman after he came to know that she was unable to enrol for Aadhaar. The minister directed that immediate steps should be taken to ensure her enrolment. The primary requirement for an Aadhaar card is fingerprints which -- the Kerala woman identified as Josymol P Jose -- was unable to get because of her disability and in the past, the Aadhaar authorities had intimated her that it will not be possible to give her a card.
The government in a statement said that following directions from Chadrasekhar, a team from the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) visited Josymol P Jose at her home in Kumarakam, Kottayam District in Kerala, the same day and got her Aadhaar number generated. No Aadhaar Card for 43-Year-Old Physically Challenged Woman in Kerala As Her Fingers Are Too Small, Unable To Get Government Benefits.
The government said that her mother thanked the authorities for their support and assistance, and said that with the help of Aadhaar, her daughter will now be able to easily avail of various benefits and services, including Social Security Pension and Kaivalya, a rehabilitation scheme for divyangjan.
Chandrasekhar said that the standard advisory has been sent to all Aadhaar Service Kendras giving instructions that Aadhaar should be issued to people like Josymol P Jose or to others having blurred finger prints or similar disability, by taking alternate biometrics.
The government said that in line with government's commitment to ensure inclusion for digitally enabled access to benefits and services, UIDAI has made special provision in its regulations and has issued Biometric Exception Enrolment Guidelines dated August 1, 2014 laying down the procedure for enrolling persons who have missing fingers, the biometrics of whose fingers cannot be captured due to any reason (such as a cut, bruise, bandage, worn-out or bent fingers due to old age or leprosy), or the biometrics of whose irises or both fingers and irises cannot be captured due to any reason.
It said that a person who is eligible for Aadhaar but unable to provide fingerprints may enroll using only iris scan. "Similarly, an eligible person whose irises cannot be captured due to any reason may enrol using only her/his fingerprint," the government said. It also said that an eligible person who is unable to provide both finger and iris biometrics may enroll "without submitting any of the two".
"For such persons, under the Biometric Exception Enrolment Guidelines, the name, gender, address and date or year of birth are to be captured along with the available biometrics while highlighting the missing ones in the enrolment software, a photograph is to be taken in the manner specified in the Guidelines to highlight the unavailability of finger(s) or iris(es) or both and the Supervisor of the Aadhaar enrolment center is to validate such enrolment as an exceptional enrolment,” the government said. MoS Rajeev Chandrasekhar to Take Stock of Relief Efforts in Chennai After Cyclone Michaung.
It also said that thus every eligible person who undergoes the enrolment process by submitting the required information may be issued an Aadhaar number, irrespective of any inability to provide biometrics. "The UIDAI enrolls about one thousand persons every day under exceptional enrollment as above. Till date, UIDAI has issued Aadhaar numbers to nearly 29 lakh persons who had missing fingers or were otherwise unable to provide finger or iris or both biometrics," it said.
UIDAI also inquired into the reasons why Aadhaar number did not get issued to Josymolin when she enrolled earlier and learnt that this happened since the Aadhaar enrolment operator did not follow the exceptional enrolment procedure, it added.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 09, 2023 04:47 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).